Page:Speeches And Writings MKGandhi.djvu/347

 even so, I simply sy this that I want to purge India of this atmosphere of suspicion on either side, if we are to reach our goal, we should have an empire which is to be based upon mutual love and mutual trust Is it not better that we talk under the shadow of this college than that we should be talking irrespon- sibly in our homes ? 1 consider that it is much better that we talk these things openly I have done so with excellent results before now. I know that there is nothing that the students are not discussing. There is nothing that the students do not know, I am therefore turning the searchlight towards ourselves. I hold the name of my country so dear to me that I exchange these thoughts with you, and submit to you that there is no room for anarchism in India. Let us frankly and openly say whatever we want to say to our rulers, and face the consequences if what we have to say does not please them. But let us not abuse, I was talking the other day to a member of the much-abused Civil Service I have not very much in common with the members of that Service, but I could not help admiring the manner in which he was speaking to me, He said: "Mr. Gandhi, do you for one moment suppose that all we, Civil Servants, are a bad lot, that we want to oppress the people whom we have come to govern ?" 'No/ I said. '* Then if you get an opportunity put in a word for the much-abused Civil Set vice ?*' And I am here to put in that word, Yes; many members of the Indian Civil Service are most decidedly overbearing ; they are tyrannical, at times thoughtless. Many other adjectives may be used. I grant ail these things and I grant also that after having lived in India for a certain number of years some of them become somewhat

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